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    Last Ditch (The Ngaio Marsh Collection)
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    Last Ditch (The Ngaio Marsh Collection)
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    Last Ditch (The Ngaio Marsh Collection)
    Ebook320 pages4 hours

    Last Ditch (The Ngaio Marsh Collection)

    By Ngaio Marsh

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 7, 2010
    ISBN9780007344833
    Unavailable
    Last Ditch (The Ngaio Marsh Collection)
    Author

    Ngaio Marsh

    Dame Ngaio Marsh was born in New Zealand in 1895 and died in February 1982. She wrote over 30 detective novels and many of her stories have theatrical settings, for Ngaio Marsh’s real passion was the theatre. She was both an actress and producer and almost single-handedly revived the New Zealand public’s interest in the theatre. It was for this work that the received what she called her ‘damery’ in 1966.

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    Reviews for Last Ditch (The Ngaio Marsh Collection)

    3.5/5

    104 ratings9 reviews

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    • 3/5
      A quick re-read made me realise this is one of Marsh's later gems. Set on a fictionalised version of one of the English Channel Islands it features a grown up Ricky (son of Roderick Allyen and his painter wife Troy). Ricky is trying to be a writer but between the social offerings of the upper class Pharamonds (and a bad crush on Julia Pharamond, a connection of the Lampreys from "A surfeit of Lampreys") and the somewhat mysterious wealth and comings and goings of his plumber /handyman host he doesn't seem to get much opportunity for writing. Throw in a mysterious death of a local riding school girl ("she was quite a girl" say all the men on the island with a leer), a hippy painter with an attitude problem and a drug smuggling ring (related to the one in "When in Rome") it's unsurprising that Ricky soon finds himself in trouble and that his father (sent to investigate the smuggling) finds himself a little more personally involved than usual. Lots of understatement but great fun in a great setting.
    • 3/5
      In this late entry of the Inspector Alleyn series, the focus is on Alleyn's son Ricky. While the last third, when Alleyn himself arrives on the scene, was exciting, I found the mystery itself a little obvious. Wanda McCaddon/Nadia May did a decent narration but it wasn't as good as some of hers I have listened to.
    • 3/5
      An amusing mystery full of quirky characters well narrated by the reader.
    • 4/5
      Ricky Alleyn, son of Scotland Yard detective Roderick Alleyn,is spending his college break on a lovely channel island, working on writing a book. However, all is not as peaceful as it seems. When a horrific riding "accident" that kills a young woman begins to look like murder, Ricky's curiosity and amateur sleuthing may make him the next target of violence. Marsh has been compared favorably to Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, her contemporaries. This is only the second of her mysteries I have read, and while I like them well enough to read more, I'm not convinced the comparison is favorable to Marsh. Her stories seem somehow more dated and I just can't feel much interest in the reactions of the totally unflappable, always authoritative and wise Roderick Alleyn. Her female characters, so far, seem, with the exception of Alleyn's wife, Troy, to be stock characters. The identity of the murderer in both the mysteries I read was generally discernable, although not yet proven, within a few chapters. I'll read more, though. Being a step below Christie is still a cut above most mystery writers.
    • 3/5
      This 1970's outing has been updated somewhat, and makes me think of the very last Tintin book in which Tintin wears (gasp!) jeans, just like Ricky Alleyn. It was a deliberate downer, as Alleyn achieves none of his larger goals. It made one think how nice it would be to be rich and idle, like the Pharamonds, but that is not an original or deep thought. Moreover, there seems to be a bit of intrigue set up regarding the Pharamonds which never gets followed up.
    • 4/5
      Ricky Alleyn, son of Troy and Roderick Alleyn, is taking an island break in an attempt to write a book.

      The niece of the local riding school owner dies after making a difficult jump and is found later in a ditch. Meanwhile one or more people are involved in drug running between France and England.

      Not long after Rory arrives in town, Ricky disappears.

      Lateish story (I think written in the mid 70s), where the story line is grittier than Marsh's contemporaries(no cream teas here, heroin addiction and drug running is the name of the game, as is Hellfire and brimstone preachers)
    • 3/5
      This is an enjoyable enough read for a wet day but I found the ending very unsatisfactory. Not one of my favourites.
    • 4/5
      This is my favorite Marsh book so far. Alleyn's son, Ricky, has gone to an island of the coast of England to write a book. What seems to be a very quiet and inspiring spot though, soon turns into a place of intrigue, murder and unrest. Ricky is a grown man, but is relieved when his papa shows up to take a hand in the investigations. One of the things I liked best about this book was the lack of angst, drama and anger between the son and his parents. So refreshing to read about healthy relationships sometimes. I thought all the characters well drawn and interesting, as well as the setting.
    • 3/5
      The books when Alleyn travels are sometimes my least favorite. I enjoyed seeing things from his sons eyes, however, I just had a hard time getting into this book. While the presence of Fox during the second half of the book helped, the first half took too long to set up the story and the dialogue was hard to understand. Still enjoyable but not one of my favorites.